Cats are natural Buddhists, almost. They practice their meditation sitting still on the driveway or path early in the morning. They excel at non-attachment and they're well skilled at one-pointed concentration. However, for most cats, it's the Do Not Kill, the First Precept, that is challenging, as they proudly bring home for your inspection rats, birds, gophers and the like.

Ozzie arrived in our second bathroom via a small animal trap baited with stinky salmon skin.  He'd been living with his feral mother and sister at a local restaurant, enjoying the myriad of scraps and milk that were kindly offered. I set the trap and settled in for a long wait as smart ferals are notoriously savvy when it comes to avoiding being trapped.  But not, Ozzie, he jumped right in.

A feral cat is raised quite differently from one raised domestically.  A feral cat is schooled by its mom in the wild for one thing--to avoid predators.  Feral moms are extremely strict and don't indulge their offspring in foolish kitty romping. In order to avoid alerting predators, the moms keep the kittens close to them, do not tolerate goofing off, keep them quiet, and teach them to be impeccably clean.  They're fastidious about their covering their poop. And, they're taught to fear humans.  

This last factor, fear of humans, is what makes it so difficult, read impossible, to rehabilitate/domesticate a feral cat. It is most humane to trap the cat, have it neutered/spayed, provide shots and return the cat to its colony from which it came.  Releasing a feral into a new, unfamiliar territory is dangerous for other cats and the feral.

Ozzie made it. The small amount of contact with the restaurant folks opened a bit of trust of humans. And, being young enough, hungry and good-natured, Ozzie was able to make the switch to accepting people.  It took time and tons of patience, but it worked.  He's now a big-bellied, happy boy, tolerating the dog and enjoying the life on easy street and practicing the First Precept, Do Not Kill..  

Because I live on an acre in the country, gophers, and rats/mice come with the territory.  Cats, especially formal ferals who were probably taught to hunt, are welcomed.  But not Ozzie.  He seems content to catch and release. He'll sit unfazed and watch the newly caught gopher as it wanders off to take retreat in its hole. No dragging half-eaten carcasses to the door to impress us. But, rather than being a Buddhist, practicing "Do Not Kill", my neighbor, Timothy, thinks Ozzie is a sadist, and will have to keep returning to this life until she learns to only kill to eat, not for fun!  Hah, maybe she's right.